UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Robert Floden, associate dean for research and distinguished professor of teacher education, measurement and quantitative methods, educational psychology, educational policy and mathematics education at Michigan State University, will present the Robert F. Nicely and Donna C. Nicely Distinguished Scholar in Education lecture, sponsored by the Penn State College of Education. He will present “Evaluating Teachers and Teacher Preparation Programs: Issues of Method and Purpose” at 4 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16, in the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus of Penn State. The event is free and open to the public.
As a faculty member at Michigan State University, Floden fulfills a number of roles, including director of the Institute for Research on Teaching and Learning, co-director of the Education Policy Center and co-director of a pre-doctoral training program in the economics of education. He has researched teacher education throughout his career and has focused much of his studies on the cultures of teaching, teaching development, character and effects of teacher education, and the link between education policy and classroom practices. Currently, he is investigating the approaches to the evaluation of teacher preparation programs as well as tools for studying classroom processes that help students develop robust mathematical understanding for use in solving contextual algebra problems.
Floden holds a doctorate in philosophy of education and a master’s in statistics from Stanford University. As an undergraduate student, he graduated with honors in philosophy from Princeton University.
Floden was recently appointed co-editor of the Journal of Teacher Education and currently serves as chair of the research advisory committee for the National Academy of Education. His accomplishments include having previously served as president of the Philosophy of Education Society and receiving the Margaret B. Lindsey Award for Distinguished Research in Teacher Education from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
The Nicely Lecture is made possible through the Robert F. Nicely, Jr. and Donna C. Nicely Distinguished Scholar in Education endowment, established by Robert and Donna Nicely. This endowment enables the College of Education to bring prominent educational scholars and speakers to University Park to give speeches, meet with faculty, and lead seminars for students.
Robert Nicely is an associate dean emeritus and professor emeritus in the College of Education. He served on the Dean's Development Council for the Investing in People initiative from 2003 to 2007, and he is a past member of the College of Education Alumni Society Board. Donna Nicely also retired from the College of Education, where she was the contracts and proposals specialist.
For more information about the Nicely Lecture, contact Christie Daniels, administrative support coordinator, at cym8@psu.edu.